How do you buy a quality leather briefcase? What do you look for when buying a leather briefcase? How do I know if a briefcase is made of real leather? If you’ve ever tried to buy a leather briefcase chances are you’ve asked those questions. I use to sell leather briefcases, and airbrushed monograms on them.
There are many kinds of leather briefcases. You have very simple ones with just a few compartments, to briefcases with many compartments, file holders, pen holders, pockets, laptop compartments and more. The two main types of leather briefcases are hard briefcases and soft briefcases. The hard leather briefcases normally have latches with combination locks, or key locks.
Today I’ll just talk about the soft leather briefcases. Most soft leather briefcases have a fold over top flap that locks in place by a snap, twist button, buckles or simple buttons. Also popular are the zippered leather briefcases with several zippered compartments. What style you get is really a matter of personal preference.
The buckle and snap shut styles tend to last the longest before something breaks. But the zippered styles last a long time too. The twist button types wear out the button after a while, however if it’s high quality it should last many years. When buying a soft leather briefcase, you need to know if you want one made for carrying a laptop or just office papers.
A leather laptop bag or briefcase has a compartment made to hold a standard sized laptop. You can use it just for papers and files, but normally there is some type of padding or extra holding straps to keep the laptop in place and safe. Of course, a leather laptop briefcase will also have other compartments for files and other office supplies.
There are many styles to choose from, so the best way is just go surfing on the net and compare all the different styles. So what type of leather makes a good leather briefcase? Well, a briefcase can go through a lot of stress. It gets thrown around, sat on, stuffed with sharp objects and so on. So you need a thick tough leather.
Cowhide, buffalo and pigskin are the best, just like in a leather jacket. Goatskin is okay, but not as good as the first three. Lambskin is too weak for a briefcase, I don’t care what they say about how smooth it is. It’s fine for a hard briefcase, but not a soft leather briefcase. Calf skin is also good for a soft leather briefcase.
So how do you know if a briefcase is made of real leather? Well a real soft leather briefcase will be thick. Fake synthetic leather is thin, like plastic. If it says leather-like, leatherette or “just like real leather”, it’s NOT leather! A real leather briefcase should say “made with real leather”. Do NOT buy a patchwork or bonded leather briefcase.
All seams should be double stitched, some are even triple stitched. If you see one with a single row of stitching, don’t buy it. A quality soft leather briefcase should come with a leather carry strap also. All hardware should be made of brass, stainless steel or nickel. Most have some type of satin, cloth or nylon liners on the inside compartments.
How much should a soft leather briefcase cost? Hell, it all depends on the quality, brand and style. You can get a good basic one for $40.00, all the way up to thousands! Leather briefcases can come in many colors, but black, brown and burgundy are the most common. Treat your leather briefcase with conditioner and leather sealer and it will last many years.